Socratic and Platonic Philosophical Therapy of Religion. An Outline of the Issue

Abstract

In my paper, I try to apply to religion the idea of philosophy as therapy. The issue seems to be an important one - as far as many contemporary forms of religion seem to be dysfunctional - i.e. are in need of therapy. Can philosophy be such a therapy?

           There are arguments that philosophy has no competence to judge religion, even less - to try to change it. „Philosophical” argument claims that philosophy and religion are autonomous language games; no rule of a given game should be judged under the rules of another game. „Theological” argument states that religion is based on the divine revelation, and any human claim to judge what comes from the divine realm is an unjustified and blasphemous usurpation.

           I (a) try to show that there is a way of doing philosophy that can face both of the above arguments, and (b) sketch a program of „philosophical therapy of religion”.